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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25630609">The Art of Making Friends by Percy The Cat ft. Thomas Sanders</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/duaa/pseuds/duaa'>duaa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>AUgust [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Au-gust, Cats, Cats Cats Catssss, Cats being stuck in trees, College AU, Gen, Implied Dissociation, Percy is a cat, That is right boys and ladies, Thomas centric, cursing ya doy, ikr aint ever seen that before, logan is tall tall tall tall</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:15:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,744</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25630609</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/duaa/pseuds/duaa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas doesn't really have all that much luck when it comes to making friends. </p><p>Which is why his cat does it for him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders &amp; Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders &amp; Morality | Patton Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>AUgust [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1856329</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Art of Making Friends by Percy The Cat ft. Thomas Sanders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>DAY 2 - College AU</p><p>also, im 5"4, okay, i wish i was taller which is why logan is going to be tall because he deserves and becAUSE I DESERVE IT TOO MOM YOU SCREWED IT UP FOR ME YOU SHORTSTACK UGH</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thomas liked college life. He was living alone, independent. He ate what he wanted when he wanted. No one to stop him. He wore what he wanted. He didn't talk to people he didn't want to talk to. No one asked him why he ate cereal at 2AM. He could walk around in his underwear. He got a cat. Percy. Percy was allowed in his dorm and he was living the 'bachelor life' with his feline friend. </p><p>Get a cat, they said. It'll be fun, they said. Leave a window open for ventilation, they said. </p><p>Now, said cat was lounging on a tree. And Thomas was sitting cross-legged in front of it, waiting for him to come down. No one to ask for help. Should he call the firefighters? Did they actually rescue cats? Or was that an urban myth, made up to elevate their public appeal? </p><p>Percy meowed, faint. Thomas glared at him. He asked for a little trimming on this godforsaken tree, just so it wouldn't be as close to his window. Sure, they said. Of course, they said. We'll do it in the winter break, they said. </p><p>Percy waited for no one. He didn't wait for Thomas to put on his pants, he didn't wait for winter break and he sure as hell didn't wait for Thomas to wake up. </p><p>All in all, an adorable, cute bastard. All in all, a furball straight from the depths of hell. </p><p>"Is that your cat?" Thomas looked around for the source of this vague British accent. </p><p>"Yeah," the hoodie clad boy nodded, walking towards the tree. He 'pspspspspsp'ed and Percy meowed with interest, jumping down a few branches. The boy 'spspspsps'ed again, and Thomas made a mental note to learn how to do that, watching as Percy leapt into the boy's outstretched arms.</p><p>"Wow, I - thank you, um, so much!" Thomas stared, confounded. </p><p>"Oh, no problem," had Thomas imagined the British accent? Maybe he had been hearing things. He just had an extremely deep voice. <del>How that translated into a British accent, Thomas could only wonder.</del> "Here." Percy was back in Thomas' arms and the stranger <i>saluted</i> and left. </p><p>"Listen up, you absolute monster..." he began, knowing damn well that he would end up cuddling Percy anyways.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*</p>
</div>This time, there was no one to blame but himself. Thomas dug his own grave and lied in it, like the cheap kazoo he was. Percy needed to be taken on a walk. Thomas had a dollar. There was a vending machine, and lo and behold, Percy was once again united with his beloved tree and Thomas and his dollar were standing by the stupid tree, snackless.<p>Thomas tried to 'spspsps' Percy. He gave Thomas an unimpressed look and Thomas felt like his favourite teacher had just failed him. He didn't 'spspsp' after that. Thomas <i>carefully</i> placed his crisp dollar into his wallet, knowing all too well that the rest of his money was in worse shape than used tissue. He hadn't seen the hoodie-maybe British-purple-deep voice-pspspspsps master-salute-boy since that day, and was beginning to think that he may have just been a hallucination after all. </p><p>He tried to school his expression when he saw two people walking his way, hoping to not look as pathetic as he felt. The shorter boy was leading the other one, murmuring something as they reached the vending machine. Some rustling. The taller boy looked stoned, eyes glazed and heavy breathing. Maybe he was. Some more rustling. Thomas looked at them, the shorter one's hands were trembling. His bill was hopelessly crumbled. </p><p>If the anxious stoners wanted chips that bad, Thomas had to help. His mom always told him to help. Which sounded extremely childlike, but it was instilled into his brain in a way that only made sense when he realised the dollar was out and he was already offering it to the guy. </p><p>Morals on autopilot, hell yeah! Take that, temptations straight from hell that would have made him a demon!</p><p>"Oh my gosh, thank you so so much, oh my gosh -" A can of soda rolls out. Thomas waves away his thanks and looks at Percy again. Is there approval in his eyes? </p><p>No, no, that can't be right, Percy was not a benevolent soul, no, he was a malevolent soul if anything. Climbing on trees all the damn time. </p><p>The two stoners (???) sat down by the sidewalk, just within Thomas' hearing range. </p><p>"Here, here, Rem, yeah, yeah, good job kiddo, uh, can you, can you tell me what that is?" Uhhh. </p><p>Some mumbling. Then: "Yeah, yeah kiddo, that's, that's right! Um, just here -" the soda can opens with a crack and a fizz. Thomas feels like he's intruding. "Rem, can you - yeah, yeah, there we go. Um, what's five things..." Thomas walks further away, hoping to give them some privacy. He looks at Percy. Percy doesn't look at him. Percy never looks at him. </p><p>Leaves rustle. Percy's moving, oh sweet, sweet victory! Yes - no. No. Of course not. That evil ball of sunshine just climbed up. Further up. Up, up and away. </p><p>Thomas 'spspspspsp's. He doesn't acknowledge him. Percy never acknowledges him. </p><p>"Hey, thanks a lot, kiddo!" The shorter guy stands in front of him. Thomas' clock says that fifteen minutes have passed. Huh. The taller boy stands behind him, clutching the can of soda like it's his lifeline. He looks more alert now. A bit like Percy. </p><p>"Oh, hey, no problem, don't mention it," </p><p>"Awh, is that your cat?" Thomas nods, miserable. </p><p>"Don't worry, I got it!" The taller guy - Rem, was it? - hands his friend his drink before sprinting to the trunk. </p><p>"Remus, no!" The warning comes too late. Remus clutches the trunk and shakes - <i>and Thomas' world is on fire, his fucking cat was going to die because of this lunatic no no no no no he can not live without Percy no -</i> </p><p>"Aww, hello little guy!" Percy is cradled in Remus' arms and Thomas' heart rate leaves the cardio zone. Remus looks at them. "Okay, c'mon guys, even if I hadn't caught it, he would've made the fall! Cats always land on their feet!" He sways with Percy, cooing at him. </p><p>"I am so, so sorry." The shorter guy lays a hand on Thomas' shoulder. </p><p>"At least he's down," Thomas' voice is a whisper. Remus jangles his way back to them, handing off Percy. </p><p>"An adorable little cat. So cute. What's his name?"</p><p>"Percy."</p><p>"Bye, Percy! Bye, cat boy!" And with an apologetic smile and a wave, the two are off on their merry way. Thomas looks at Percy, who is once again staring wistfully at his Tree. </p><p>Thomas rubs his face in Percy's back. A petulant 'mrow' rumbles through him.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*</p>
</div>Thomas just woke up. He likes the 'just-woke-up' euphoria more than anything in the world. The lazy, contentment. The perfect temperature. The light, streaming in. The air, crisp and cool. The bed hair that somehow doesn't look all too bad. The clothes that contoured to fit him just right. The taste of coffee. The taste of toast. The feeling of pure relaxation. The sting of the shower. The feeling of new, fresh clothes on his skin.<p>THE PANIC WHEN HIS CAT IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN. </p><p>The coursing adrenaline as he sticks his head out of the window. The pure fear when he runs to the tree, circling it. The tears building up when there's no one around - <i>god damnit he should have fed that stupid little cat at 3AM like he wanted, fuck, now he's gone! He ran away! His baby ran -</i></p><p>Right beside the tree, sitting cross-legged is a boy. With Percy. He pets Percy, absently, feeding him some mysterious squares. </p><p>"My cat!" Thomas cries, running towards him, "My cat!" </p><p>"Oh, here!" The boy looks surprised. He hands Percy to him. </p><p>"Percy!" Thomas wails, fear ebbing down. "Oh my god, I swear I'll feed you whenever you want!" </p><p>He turns to the stranger. "Thank you so much, oh my god, thank you so, so much! I thought I'd never see him again!" </p><p>The man unfolds himself and Thomas is left staring as this lamppost of a man towers above him. "He was stuck in that tree." He points, arm stretched and Thomas looks at the vast expanse of his limb. </p><p>"Th-thank you," the words and the man nods. </p><p>"You may want to invest in a name tag." He advises, pushing his glasses up his nose. </p><p>"Yeah, yeah, I really should." Is this what Percy feels like? Small and insignificant? </p><p>The man nods again, looking at Percy. Percy stares back and Thomas can't help but feel like they somehow crossed the border in interspecies communication and talked a length deal about something. </p><p>The man scratches Percy's head, before looking at Thomas. "Aren't you in my chemical engineering class? Sanders, right?"</p><p><i>How on Earth had Thomas missed this tower of boy, taller than Burj Khalifa, taller than the diameter of Jupiter?</i> </p><p>"Um, I don't - I -"</p><p>"Logan Croft. I sit behind you. Way far behind you."</p><p>"Oh." He stammers. Logan pets Percy once more. He grabs his bag, looking a heavy machinery crane.</p><p>"See you, Sanders. Percy." He looks at Percy and Thomas <i>knows</i> that Logan can talk to cats. He just does.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*</p>
</div>Percy and Thomas had settled into a good, nice, lifestyle. They woke up roughly around the same time now, so Thomas didn't have to haul ass at 4AM anymore. Percy loved his fancy feast tuna and now knew a few tricks. Like 'GODDAMNIT' meant 'meow'. And 'oh my god!!' meant 'sit'. Sometimes he would scratch at random objects. Thomas laughed at that, a lot. Sometimes he would sit and stare at seemingly nothing. Thomas was not laughing then. He and Percy were having a blast, sometimes Percy would saunter over to the tree, but he always came back for some delicious fancy feast. And sometimes because Thomas started crying.<p>It was hard to tell. </p><p>Either way, they weren't only co-existing, they were also thriving. Enjoying each others company. Sometimes enjoying Logan-the-cat-whisperer's company. Sometimes enjoying Remus' company. The point is, he was no longer the malevolent spirit Thomas had marked him out to be, he was becoming a little less hell creature and a little more cute kitty. </p><p>Which is why Thomas was <i>devastated</i> when he came back from his lecture to find a notice saying that his building was up for inspection. Inspection for damage and other things that their lease did not mention. And Thomas had a sinking feeling that his feral cat was not going to sit well with the inspectors. </p><p>He was trying to find a perfect hiding spot for his cat, thinking about just letting him loose up on his Tree, when some one knocked on his door. </p><p>"No!" Thomas whisper-yelled, praying that it was anyone but the inspectors. </p><p>"Mr. Sanders, I'm here to inspect your dorm," aw fuck no! </p><p>"Yes, yes, of course, um -" he sidesteps to let him in, when someone sprinted down the hall, coming to a stop before him. A red hoodie clad boy ran straight into Thomas' room, standing in front of the inspector, hands on hips.</p><p>"Oh my god!" he said, "You're the inspector, right? Oh my god, do you <i>own</i> this building?" </p><p>Thomas looked around, confused. What was going on - OH SHIT! Percy faintly meows before sitting down beside the couch. A hand on Thomas' shoulder and as he turns, someone zips by him. </p><p>"May I finish the inspection, Mr. Sanders?" The man waves the other boy away, looking around. </p><p>"Uh huh, sure." Thomas is confused. So very confused. There may be four people in the room. A cat sitting by - no. Percy was gone. There was no cat sitting by the couch. Hopefully he ran under the couch and decided to take a little nap. Thomas looks at the hoodie clad boy who gives him a thumbs-up. </p><p>"Mr. Sanders, what are these, these marks here?"</p><p>"Uh, they were there when I moved in," he lies, knowing damn well that Percy scratched up that wall for no reason. </p><p>"Ooh! Ooh! Mr. Inspector Man!" the boy yells from his place by the door. "I have that in my room, too! What is that, do you think?" </p><p>The older man sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Um, I don't know. I think I've seen enough." Thank god for annoying people and thank god for these miracles. </p><p>Ohoho, Thomas was <i>so</i> going to church after this. </p><p>"Ooooh, Mr. Inspector, will you do my room next please! Oh my -"</p><p>"Actually, I don't think I need to. If you'll excuse me." He rushes out of the room and Thomas turns to...</p><p>Two people. One was the Red Boy standing by the door annoying the shit out of the inspector. And there was someone else. Standing by his kitchen. Beanie boy. He must've been the hand Thomas felt on his shoulder. </p><p>"Um, not to be rude or anything, but what's going on?" Red Boy shuts the door, locking it. </p><p>"Here," Beanie Boy says, reaching into the hood of his jacket, "is your cat." </p><p>Percy jumps out of his hands, yowling. Thomas gapes at them, looking at Beanie Boy and his cat.</p><p>"Uh..." </p><p>"When we heard about this inspection thing, my brother told me <i>you</i> had a cat!" Red Boy exclaims. </p><p>"I - Remus. Your brother, it's Remus, right?" The hair. The eyes. </p><p>"Yeah, we're fraternal twins. Anyways, I told my local delinquent -" Beanie Boy waves, smirking, "- and we made this plan to keep you and your law breaking, illegal, smuggled in, contraband of a cat safe!" </p><p>"Thank you, oh my god, I - thank you so much, my god, how can I ever repay you, oh my gosh -"</p><p>Beanie Boy slids off of the couch, sitting next to Percy. "We heard that you helped Pat and Remus. We're even now." He sounded extremely ominous for someone petting a cat and cooing at it. </p><p>"Also, Logan loves your cat and told us that if anything happened to it he would make our lives miserable and I choose to believe him." </p><p>"Oh. Oh, I didn't know Logan liked Percy that much."</p><p>"I dunno, he's weird," </p><p>"And tall as fuck," Beanie Boy muttered under his breath. </p><p>"Well, thanks again, guys! Oh, uh, I'm Thomas."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, we know, genius. You can call me J." </p><p>"Roman Prince, at your service!"</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>*</p>
</div>"Hey mom. Yeah, no, it's been great. No - no, yeah, I'm sure. Hundred percent. I'll be fine mom, it's just one winter break. Besides, I've got Percy here with me. Yeah. Yeah, we're getting along, of course we are! Why wouldn't we be? He's adorable. Yeah, and - and, he stopped waking me up at the crack of dawn! We get up at a reasonable eight thirty now! What? No. No, no, mom! I'm not getting up at six to do yoga! No, mom!"<p>"What? Oh, oh, yeah, the first week was kinda bleak, I didn't make a lot of friends, cause I didn't really see anyone around. But, uh, no - no! You're not letting me finish, mom! Yeah, listen! Okay, so, Percy kept climbing on this tree and first this guy, Virgil, helped me and - and I thought he had a British accent, mom! I know, I know, I was wrong. He's really cool, he's kinda shy, though. Yeah, I know, just like me, of course. Anyways, then, these two guys, Patton and Remus - and you know, everyone called Patton Pat, so I thought his name was Pat and it was so, so embarrassing, I felt like dying! Yeah, no, they're amazing and - and, Remus has a fraternal twin! I know! Isn't that crazy? Roman, yeah, he's like my bestest friend ever. And there's this guy, okay, wait, just guess how tall he is. What? No! Mom, why would guess four feet? What is that? No, he's like six feet five inches! He loves Percy. No, I'm serious, he loves Percy so much! And then there's Janus, he's even cooler than Virgil, he's like the proper punk I never was!"</p><p>"No, mom! He's not a bad influence, he's just a dork, okay? Jeez. Anyways, I'll call you guys later! Okay? Tell Dad and Shea I said hi! No. Yeah, yeah, no, yeah! Okay. Uh huh. Okay. Yeah. Mmhmm. Yeah. What? Oh, okay, okay. Yeah. No, yeah. Okay. Okay. Bye. Okay. Bye. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Bye. Ughhhh, mom! I said 'bye' like sixteen times! Okay. Yeah. I love you too. Bye."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>lmk if you see a typo!<br/>hope you liked it ❤️💕</p></blockquote></div></div>
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